Liverpool Labour Police Striker Film Screening with Q&A

Where: Media Factory – Room 210

Time: 1:30pm-2:30pm

This short film tells the story of my great grandfather William Smith with particular focus on his involvement in the Labour struggles of the 1920s in Liverpool. William played a key part in a very unusual strike, that being a strike of policemen. Discontent had been brewing in the force over the war years and this lead to rapid union growth and organisation throughout the country under the banner of the National Union of Police and Prison Officers. In 1919, 954 men of the Liverpool force were sacked for taking part in industrial action to fight the outlawing of their fledgling union.

This film was made to tell a story that wasn’t widely known and has a great deal of modern day relevance. Starting almost from scratch and working without budget, crumbs of information were pieced together over five years to build the script. Premiered at FACT Liverpool in August 2017 the work is seen as a first stage, a research tool, to build interest and raise awareness. The longer term aim of the project is to uncover and bring together the lost stories of the men and their families after the strike.